“A Beautiful Mind” is one of the most stunning and memorable films I’ve ever seen. It stars Russell Crowe as John Nash, the Nobel-winning mathematician. We go with John to Princeton and see him excel in his classes, although he is a little backward socially. As time goes by, he becomes a professor, and becomes entranced with a beautiful student named Alicia (Jennifer Connelly). She doesn’t know that he’s been asked by the government to help find coded messages in magazine ads—he has to keep that part of his life a secret so she won’t be in danger.
She also doesn’t know that he’s schizophrenic, and that most of the things that go on in his mind aren’t real. In fact, for much of the movie, we don’t know what’s real and what’s pretend as we see the world through John’s eyes. This is part of what makes the movie so fascinating.
John and Alicia get married, but she never knows when his delusions will resurface. After he puts the life of their child in jeopardy, she wants to leave him, but he realizes that he’s ill and needs help. Showing a tremendous amount of courage, she takes the baby to safety and then returns to be with him as he works through the anger he feels at being mentally disturbed.
In the end, it was Alicia’s belief in him that got him through the rough times, and he went on to come up with a system of economics that won him the Nobel Prize. This film shows us the world of the mentally ill, the things they go through and the heartbreak they feel when they realize they aren’t quite right, but it also shows the power of faith and how a person can do anything they want to do.
This film is rated PG-13 for intense dramatic moments.
Related Blogs:
Helping Your Friend or Loved One Through a Psychotic Episode
The Parental Blame Game in Mental Illness